JetBlue flight near Venezuela avoids ‘midair collision’ with US tanker

The incidental progressive JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curacao, which is conscionable disconnected the seashore of Venezuela, en way to New York City’s JFK airport.

A JetBlue formation from the tiny Caribbean federation of Curacao halted its ascent to debar colliding with a US Air Force refuelling tanker connected Friday, with the JetBlue aviator blaming the subject level for crossing his path.

“We astir had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue aviator said, according to a signaling of his speech with aerial postulation control. “They passed straight successful our formation path… They don’t person their transponder turned on. It’s outrageous.”

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It comes arsenic the US subject has stepped up its cause interdiction activities successful the Caribbean and is besides seeking to summation unit connected the Venezuelan government.

“We conscionable had postulation walk straight successful beforehand of us, wrong 5 miles [8km] of america – possibly 2 oregon 3 miles [3 oregon 5km] – but it was an air-to aerial refueller from the United States Air Force, and helium was astatine our altitude,” the aviator said. “We had to halt our climb.”

The aviator said the US Air Force level past headed into Venezuelan airspace.

Derek Dombrowski, a spokesperson for JetBlue, said connected Sunday: “We person reported this incidental to national authorities and volition enactment successful immoderate investigation.”

He added, “Our unit members are trained connected due procedures for assorted formation situations, and we admit our unit for promptly reporting this concern to our enactment team.”

The Pentagon referred The Associated Press bureau to the Air Force for comment. The Air Force did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

The US Federal Aviation Administration past period issued a informing to US aircraft, urging them to “exercise caution” erstwhile successful Venezuelan airspace, “due to the worsening information concern and heightened subject enactment successful oregon astir Venezuela”.

According to the aerial postulation recording, the controller responded to the JetBlue pilot, “It has been outrageous with the unidentified craft wrong our air.”